The Arda 300

[Dân o Nandor on Anduin]

#190 Ondoher, 31st King of Gondor – gondorian dúnadan king
[TG:44,EoA:2,Wik:9,RF:5,JT:15,LR:1,UT:4,H12:6=86pts,26indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Ondoher
What is Ondoher’s claim to fame? Hmm. He, in Gondor, and Araphant in Arthedain, perceived a common enemy intent on the destruction of their kingdoms. As enemies were preparing to attack, neither could coordinate an alliance. Ondoher split his forces, taking command of the Northern Army, with his eldest son, to meet the Wainriders of the east. They were met and Gondor’s forces destroyed, including the King & his son. Ondoher’s only remaining son, and his nephew, were both slain in the ensuing onslaught. The leader of the Southern Army, Eärnil, defeated the Wainriders in the Battle of the Camp, but Gondor was left without an heir, other than Ondoher’s son-in-law Arvedui. He, however, putting forth 2 claims to throne, as King of Arthedain, and husband of the daughter of the King of Gondor, was denied either by Gondor’s Stewardship; as naturally, a second claim will tend to put into question the validity of the first! Gondor’s Kingship was thus entrusted to the victorious war-leader Eärnil, but his son would die without an heir. Meanwhile the North-kingdom had been destroyed, along with Arvedui. So Ondoher’s claim is nothing short of… the end…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9TmQQQGddQ

#189 Tar-Atanamir the Great, 13th King of Númenor – númenórean king
[TG:29,EoA:6,Wik:3,RF:8,JT:8,LR:1,Sil:3,UT:4.LoE:14,H5:2,H9:2,H12:6=86pts,26indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Tar-Atanamir_the_Great
Under him the Shadow came upon Númenor, and it’s peoples became estranged from their hallowed halls. Tar-Atanamir died in 2221 S.A., but was alive in 2112, and he encouraged the dedication to the temples of the kings…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJPAjiSX7Rk

#188 Uldor the Accursed – easterling chieftain
[TG:10,EoA:1,Wik:2,RF:11,JT:42,MD:1,DK:1,Sil:2,CoH:3,UT:4,H4:2,H5:4,H11:4=87pts,38indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Uldor
Tyler gives him nearly half his points from a long and thorough entry. Kane & Drout do him service too, despite his deeds….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwWX9JbIxFw

#187 Nimrodel, Lady of the White Grotto (f) – sylvan lady
[TG:23,EoA:1,Wik:3,RF:5,JT:15,DD:11,MD:2,LR:3,UT:8,H7:12,H8:2,H12:2=87pts,57indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Nimrodel
She appears in Verlyn Flieger’s lengthy entry ‘Poems By Tolkien’ in Drout’s Encyclopedia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nidva4waV9E

#186 Watcher in the Water – kraken(?) guard(?)
[TG:23,EoA:5,Wik:10,RF:8,JT:6,DD:31,MD:1,LR:2,H7:2=88pts,12indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Watcher_in_the_Water
Classified as a ‘Kraken’ by David Day, I’m not sure if that’s an accurate assessment, but we know he existed in black water…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbDkN19nD6A

#185 Ancalagon the Black – dragon
[TG:24,EoA:4,Wik:8,RF:4,JT:7,DD:21,MD:2,JR:2,LR:1,Sil:2,H4:4,H5:2,H11:2,H12:2,HoF+:3=88pts,30indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Ancalagon
Mmm. Couldn’t go with Peter, Paul & Mary. Couldn’t do Ram Jam. Had to go with the left-handed master, due to greatness, not race…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jbdw43yvTY

#184 Rían, wife of Huor (f) – 1st house adan
[TG:35,EoA:1,Wik:8,RF:8,JT:15,DK:1,Sil:4,CoH:2,UT:2,H4:4,H5:4,H7:2,H11:2=pts,88pts,49indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Rian
She was the mother of Tuor, and wife of Huor, and deserves her place.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT1q7L4QA0A

#183 Rúmil the Sage, of Tirion – noldo loremaster
[TG:20,EoA:1,Wik:5,RF:5,JT:7,MD:6,JR:1,DK:1,HC:1,LR:1,Sil:3,H1:10,B1:3,H2:2,H4:2,H5:4,H7:2,H9:2,H10:4,H11:6,H12:2=88pts,89indx.pg]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Rúmil_of_Tirion
21 sources contribute to his standing, including multiple indexing in Drout’s Encyclopedia; in Arden Smith’s ‘Alphabets’ entry, Matthew Dickerson’s ‘Elves: Kindreds & Migrations’ entry, Carl Hostetter’s ‘Elvish Compositions & Grammars’ entry, Bradford Lee Eden’s ‘Music in Middle-earth’ entry, and David Bratman’s ‘Posthumous Publications’ entry. I think it’s only Christopher that limits his ranking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8QqxMvb8AM

#182 Celebrían, wife of Elrond (f) – elda
[TG:18,EoA:6,Wik:18,RF:8,JT:8,DD:18,MD:2,LR:1,LT:1,UT:4,H9:4,H12:4=92pts,33indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Celebr%C3%ADan
Feeling kind of seasick, she headed for the coast…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St6jyEFe5WM

#181 Fredegar ‘Fatty’ Bolger @ – hobbit
[TG:42,EoA:1,Wik:9,RF:14,JT:12,JR:1,LR:3,H6:4,H7:6=92pts,57indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Fatty_Bolger
Rateliff notes that “Bombur is not Tolkien’s only obese character; other examples of his rather cruel sense of humor… are Fatty Bolger” and “Fattie Dorkins in Mr. Bliss… however… Farmer Giles and Bilbo himself – are distinctly on the tubby side”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M58wE8GTGp4


glossary:

*=as in CT's indexing in UT (ie. characters not appearing in Hobbit/LotR/AdvTB/Sil)
@=guest at Bilbo’s Farewell Party
(f)=female (n)=neutral

POINTS - for ENTRIES: TG=Tolkien Gateway,EoA=Encyclopedia of Arda,Wik=Wikipedia,RF=Robert Foster’s Complete Guide to Middle-earth,JT=J.E.A. Tyler’s Tolkien Companion,DD=David Day’s A-Z of Tolkien; for INDICES: LR=Lord of the Rings,Sil=Silmarillion,UT=Unfinished Tales,HX=History of Middle-earth Vol.X,LT=Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien,HC=Humphrey Carpenter’s Biography,JG=John Garth’s Tolkien and the Great War,JR=John Rateliff’s History of The Hobbit,DK=Douglas Kane’s Arda Reconstructed; for both ENTRIES & INDICES: MD=Michael Drout’s Tolkien Encyclopedia; for NAME-LISTS: CoH=Children of Húrin,B1 or B2=the ‘Qenya & Gnomish Lexicons’ from Book of Lost Tales Vols.1&2,FoG=the ‘Fall of Gondolin’ from BoLT Vol.2,LoE=the ‘Line of Elros’ tree & list from UT; MISC: HoF+=votes from the Hall of Fire thread that initiated this project + a composite of selected favourite character lists.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Only two more dragons left, yes?

Good to see Jim, Ray, Robbie and John finally making an appearance, but I spent the morning listening to the left-handed master. Because, after all, he is the master.

[Morwenna]

I got the same message for "Woman"; it seems it was something to do with copyright.

Anyway, you had some great music there! Doors, Tull, Steppenwolf, Fleetwood Mac, Doobies, wow!

Plus several groups I never heard perform before. (After all, I kind of lost track of popular music in about '82, when I was 35...)

And it's good to start seeing some familiar persons from LOTR!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I am currently listening to the one group that I don't expect to see on this list (though I should). Will I be right; only time will tell? And only I will know.

[yovargas]

I'd be curious to know what the most recent song on the list ends up being to see if it's all old fogey music.

[kzer_za]

Well, I'll post a few songs for our favorite dysfunctional Númenórean couple (stretching the boundary of "classic rock")...
Erendis's perspective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_YIjNdrVbA
Aldarion's perspective (though with a happier ending): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTLzrMHhjVw
Both: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UZZ64jhdzc

[Dân o Nandor on Anduin]

Regarding the music, folks, lets see:

- yovargas its safe to say you'll consider all of it old fogey music, because, well, I'm an old fogey. 1955-1995 will probably be the limits, with most in the 1965-1985 range. That's the era of Classic Rock, and the source of the many lists (top-500, top-1000), that I've listened to on many rock stations (now classic rock stations) for over 30 years. Performances can be right up to date, and the odd cover of a classic by a new band has occurred, but the songs sorry to say will be from an era when IMO music had a very strong cultural relevance that permeated Anglo-American society as a whole for those years, that it just hasn't had for the last quarter-century.

- likewise kzer-za, not familiar with a couple of those, but I like Tom Waits, and maybe we can fit something in. Maybe. But I've got Aldarion's song lined up, and its by the Stones, and it definitely encapsulates what wishful-thinking he may have dreamed.

- Morwenna glad you liked my choices. Someone on another site said his tastes lean more artsy (Procol Harum, the Doors, Supertramp, etc), rather than Zeppelin, etc, so I hoped I satisfied him, and threw in Genesis at the last minute.

- and 'Woman' seems to have come through on other sites last I checked. I may do some editing, as it seems Zep's 'Boogie With Stu' has been blacklisted as well, and I think I have a better choice for Ghân-buri-Ghân...

- finally VtF, you're right, the Dead needs to appear. But we're into the top-180 now, and their staples on such lists, 'Casey Jones' & 'Truckin' really have no correlation with Tolkien's world. I'm limited by the fact that much rock music is devoted to love, sex & drugs, and Middle-earth is not, Zeppelin & Rush seem to have a much more compatible repertoire. However, the Dead still have some possibilities. I think one might apply to Carcharoth, although I was considering Duran Duran. Let me guess where you'd come down in that debate!

Anyway, glad there's some interest in the music. It keeps me having fun with this. But the characters, and their ranking & points, are what this is about in the end.

[Jude]

Most of the music I listen to was written decades or centuries before I was born, so I out-fogey any of you

[yovargas]

- yovargas its safe to say you'll consider all of it old fogey music, because, well, I'm an old fogey. 1955-1995 will probably be the limits, with most in the 1965-1985 range. That's the era of Classic Rock, and the source of the many lists (top-500, top-1000), that I've listened to on many rock stations (now classic rock stations) for over 30 years. Performances can be right up to date, and the odd cover of a classic by a new band has occurred, but the songs sorry to say will be from an era when IMO music had a very strong cultural relevance that permeated Anglo-American society as a whole for those years, that it just hasn't had for the last quarter-century.

Hehe, I was mostly just teasing...I wouldn't disagree that the rock music of my lifetime hasn't generally been as big and impactful as the stuff called "classic" rock. And anyway, you old fogeys made some pretty sweet music here and there.

But more importantly - hey look, I recognize a couple more characters!

[kzer_za]

I've never read David Day, but he sure seems to be pushing some things pretty high! Like Watcher in the Water in the top 200...

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Most of the music I listen to was written decades or centuries before I was born, so I out-fogey any of you

Which puts you much more in line with Tolkien, who famously complained:

In addition in a house three doors away dwells a member of a group of young men who are evidently aiming to turn themselves into a Beatle Group. On days when it falls to his turn to have a practice session the noise is indescribable.....

Dân, I completely agree that the main focus should be (and is) on the characters themselves, and as we get further along that will be even more so. But what you have done with the music is simply very cool, and deserves respect and admiration as well. (As for Carcharoth, I can guess what both choices are, and either would be appropriate. But yes, I think you can guess which one I would think was sufficiently "dire". I have a few that I could potentially suggest, but I would rather see what you come up with. Needless to say, your choice for Aldarion meets my approval! The real question for me is what your choice for my doppelganger will be.)

[yovargas]

"a Beatle Group"

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Which makes it all the more amusing that subsequently (but while Tolkien was still alive), the Beatles were seriously interested in making a film of LOTR. With Stanley Kubrick directing, and Paul playing Frodo, George playing Gandalf, and Ringo playing Sam. And best of all, John as Gollum. Needless to say, Tolkien was not pleased.

[Jude]

Sounds like we had a narrow escape!

[kzer_za]

Well, Ringo was actually a decent actor...

[Voronwë the Faithful]

And if nothing else Gollum with a Liverpool accent would have been entertaining.

[Dân o Nandor on Anduin]

As far as the Beatles go, I was in a session by Priscilla Tolkien at the 2005 (50th anniversary of LotR) conference in England, and she was asked what her father thought of the Beatles. She said she didn't know, but started to relay her thoughts on how he liked, or didn't like, spiders, snakes, cats, etc. The questioner then perfected his question, to which she said "oh, you mean THE Beatles??". She replied, as I remember, that she had no recollection of him having any negative, or positive, opinion on The Beatles at the time. I wish I could 'you-tube' that answer now, but I distinctly remember there was no hint that he disliked the Beatles, or any other rock-group.

And, I'll add, how much he liked musicians, particularly desiring to be a fiddler himself. VtF can probably produce the adequate quote...

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Letter 142 to Father Robert Murray (the grandson of the founder of the Oxford English Dictionary, and a close friend of Tolkien's), 2 December 1953:

I was sorry to hear that you are now without a 'cello, after having got some way (I am told) with that lovely and difficult instrument. Anyone who can play a stringed instrument seems to me a wizard worthy of deep respect. I love music, but have no aptitude for it; and the efforts spent on trying to teach me the fiddle in youth, have left me only with a feeling of awe in the presence of fiddlers.

[Morwenna]

I think there was some letter or something that showed he didn't like rock music. I don't know about individual performers. But if he's anything like me, or my generation, he would have liked popular music only if it came out during his youth or young adulthood. Most of his potential favorites would have been way before our time.

[Dân o Nandor on Anduin]

#180 Nimloth the Fair, White Tree of Númenor – tree
[TG:14,EoA:15,Wik:5,RF:11,JT:7,DD:1,MD:1,DK:1,LR:3,Sil:5,UT:6,H5:4,H9:10,H10:4,H11:2,H12:4=93pts,23indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Nimloth_of_N%C3%BAmenor
Nimloth is the highest ranking tree of the lineage of the White Trees, beyond Telperion: Galathilion, Celeborn, & the White Trees of Gondor have all already appeared.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PZ7-AhBuXE

#179 Arathorn II, 15th Chieftain of the Dúnedain – arnorian dúnadan chieftain
[TG:29,EoA:12,Wik:5,RF:5,JT:8,LR:2,Sil:1,Let:1,H6:2,H7:20,H8:2,H9:2,H12:4=93pts,49indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Arathorn_II
His wife Gilraen wore a ceremonial bejewelled headgarb. As Arathorn’s widow, this may have been altered into a long black veil…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F-4rY4g4Do

#178 Haleth the Hunter, 1st Chieftain of the Haladin (f) – 2nd house adan chieftain/ruling-lady
[TG:24,EoA:3,Wik:10,RF:5,JT:11,MD:2,DK:2,Sil:4,CoH:4,UT:10,H4:4,H11:8,H12:6=93pts,72indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Haleth
Kane & Drout give requisite attention to Haleth, along with the 3 internet sources that account for a third of her points. An interesting mention is within Anna Smol’s ‘Gender in Tolkien’s Works’ entry in Drout’s Encyclopedia, in which Haleth is listed amongst those “strong female characters [who] challenge stereotypical gender roles”, but she adds the belief of some that “even exceptional women [in Tolkien] do not escape their engendered roles: Éowyn, for example, after fighting heroically on the battlefield, opts for a traditional feminine life of healing and marriage”. To which Smol challenges this assumption with the character of Shelob. As neither wife, nor mother, and being a founding Chieftain, Haleth definitely lands on the other side of that argument.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PVjcIO4MT4

#177 Mardil Voronwë, 1st Ruling Steward of Gondor – gondorian dúnadan ruling-steward
[TG:28,EoA:2,Wik:7,RF:12,JT:24,LR:2,Sil:2,UT:6,H8:6,H12:6=95pts,25indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Mardil_Voronw%C3%AB
J.E.A. Tyler’s entry is responsible for most of his points, outside of Tolkien Gateway. In it, Tyler gives a thorough biography of just how important this son of Vorondil the Hunter was for transitioning the governing of Gondor from Kingship to Stewardship, and also instituting the ‘Steward’s Reckoning’ calendar innovations. He should also be the last Steward to need a Stewart to give him his song...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD_6KqP7K0g

#176 Vána the Ever-young (f) – vala queen/gardener
[TG:18,EoA:3,Wik:5,RF:5,JT:4,DD:10,MD:2,JG:1,Sil:2,H1:22,B1:11,H2:2,H4:4,H5:2,H10:2,H11:2=95pts,73indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Vána
She’s the last of the non-Aratar Valier to appear. From the houses of the Valar in Aman, she asks the question, “can I make your garden grow?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_neqpz0nbF0

#175 Bifur, companion of Thorin Oakenshield – dwarf adventurer
[TG:66,EoA:1,Wik:3,RF:3,JT:2,DD:6,JR:10,LR:1,H6:2,H12:2=96pts,25indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Bifur
Rateliff notes that as the drafts developed for The Hobbit, “Tolkien’s decision to focus the active roles on only a few of the dwarves [meant] that some of the dwarves are relegated to such obscurity that they have virtually no speaking parts at all”. With respect to Bifur, Jackson took this another step completely…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTCNwgzM2rQ

#174 Dori, companion of Thorin Oakenshield – dwarf adventurer
[TG:54,EoA:4,Wik:2,RF:4,JT:5,DD:10,JR:14,LR:1,H12:2=pts,96pts,33indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Dori
He was the strongest dwarf of Thorin’s company, wore a purple hood, and when he was called upon to rescue Bilbo from the wolves climbing up the trees, he didn’t know if he was comin’ up or down…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C18B33QuEEQ

#173 Malbeth the Seer, counsellor of Arthedain – arnorian dúnadan counsellor
[TG:32,EoA:13,Wik:11,RF:7,JT:27,LR:1,H8:4,H12:2=97pts,9indx.pg]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Malbeth_the_Seer
Once again J.E.A. Tyler gives the most thorough biography for this royal counsellor noted for not one, but two, prophecies..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4BBQMjbX3c

#172 Barliman Butterbur, keeper of the Prancing Pony – northman inn-keeper
[TG:38,EoA:8,Wik:8,RF:8,JT:4,MD:2,LR:3,H6:10,H7:4,H8:2,H9:2,H12:4,HoF+:4=97pts,121indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Barliman_Butterbur
Frodo’s journey to the Hotel Prancing Pony of course ended with an attempt to stab him with steely blades…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj1i_yx5BV0

#171 Cirion, 12th Ruling Steward of Gondor – gondorian dúnadan ruling-steward
[TG:40,EoA:2,Wik:12,RF:11,JT:14,LR:1,UT:12,H12:6=98pts,36indx.pgs]
http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Cirion
He lived from 2449 to 2567, when the world of Man was under attack…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izQB2-Kmiic


glossary:

*=as in CT's indexing in UT (ie. characters not appearing in Hobbit/LotR/AdvTB/Sil)
@=guest at Bilbo’s Farewell Party
(f)=female (n)=neutral

POINTS - for ENTRIES: TG=Tolkien Gateway,EoA=Encyclopedia of Arda,Wik=Wikipedia,RF=Robert Foster’s Complete Guide to Middle-earth,JT=J.E.A. Tyler’s Tolkien Companion,DD=David Day’s A-Z of Tolkien; for INDICES: LR=Lord of the Rings,Sil=Silmarillion,UT=Unfinished Tales,HX=History of Middle-earth Vol.X,Let=Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien,HC=Humphrey Carpenter’s Biography,JG=John Garth’s Tolkien and the Great War,JR=John Rateliff’s History of The Hobbit,DK=Douglas Kane’s Arda Reconstructed; for both ENTRIES & INDICES: MD=Michael Drout’s Tolkien Encyclopedia; for NAME-LISTS: CoH=Children of Húrin,B1 or B2=the ‘Qenya & Gnomish Lexicons’ from Book of Lost Tales Vols.1&2,FoG=the ‘Fall of Gondolin’ from BoLT Vol.2,LoE=the ‘Line of Elros’ tree & list from UT; MISC: HoF+=votes from the Hall of Fire thread that initiated this project + a composite of selected favourite character lists.